Pure Honey – Really!

For more than 100 years, beekeepers have labeled their honey as “Pure”. By implication there was a problem with some honey being not so Pure.

Back then, most agricultural poisons were inorganic. They killed the bees whether applied to the crops, or put in a hive by a beekeeper. And dead bees don’t make any contaminated honey.

Not so pure honey was often adulterated with cheaper sweeteners. The government began monitoring honey. As a result, honey adulteration isn’t much of a problem as it’s still monitored.

But now there are other threats to honey’s purity. Environmental contaminants, agricultural pesticides and antibiotics are commonly encountered by a honeybee. Although these contaminates are often deleterious to a colony’s health, the bees live and can produce contaminated honey.

Conventional beekeeping methods seldom address the effects of these contaminants. In fact beekeepers commonly treat hives with pesticides and antibiotics. These practices often contribute additional pesticides and antibiotics that can contaminate honey.

Today, these contaminates are more ubiquitous, insidious and harmful to human health. And for good human health, it’s important to reduce or eliminate our contact with them.

Today’s consumer is much more informed. And certainly not gullible enough to think putting “Pure” on a funky country label assures anything more than a cute advertising scheme.

Maybe now is the time beekeepers should actually keep their bees naturally to minimize product contamination. And then verify product quality with government based testing.